Vincent Kisuke
Vincent Kisuke (born in an unknown year, died in 48 APC) was an antihero in Phoenix City Chronicles. Metagame Information Creator/Player: Scott Jordan/Scott Jordan, Regis Welch (only in The Storming of Marrowbrook Castle) Creative Circumstance: Retired Character/Deceased Moral Stance: Neutral Overview Originally intended to be a villainous character, Vincent quickly became more heroic in the early games, although he once again shifted to his evil roots as the story progressed. Much like his character, Scott Jordan's rapport with the gaming group comprising PXC was on-again, off-again. As luck would have it, Vincent had exited the game in-character shortly before the falling out between Jordan and Welch, providing a viable explanation for his absence during the early Marrowbrook story arc. However, to ease the transition from Minionz to the current site, Welch decided to give players who had gotten to know Vincent as one of the good guys some measure of closure with his tragic end at the conclusion of the Marrowbrook adventures. This was initially intended to be the character's farewell, but a brief reunion between Scott Jordan and the PXC gaming group resulted in the heroes meeting up again with Vincent in what would ultimately be a self-contained cameo appearance. Appearance Vincent was 6 foot 3 inches and weighed 182 lbs. He was slim, almost emaciated in build, although his prowess in battle made it clear he was athletically fit. His eyes were mysteriously red, even while he was alive, and his silver-white hair was probably shoulder-length but spiked outward in all directions. He wore a skin-tight black under-armor, over which he laid bone-like plates. On one hand, he wielded a deadly, claw-like weapon, and on his back he kept his signature bow. Before Phoenix City Chronicles Vincent's activities before his first appearance in Phoenix City Chronicles are relatively mysterious, but it is known that he was a deadly assassin from Gallows Hill that had killed seventy-three people before relocating to Phoenix City to start over in a new location. Vektor Story Arc Soon after arriving in Phoenix City, Vincent fell in the company of Jacen Koriander, then an unnamed and mysterious "employer" who wished to pay Vincent to assassinate a series of important officials, aiding his own bid for political power. Vincent initially accepted this offer, but a surprise visit from Echo, the ghost of a young girl he had unknowingly killed while assassinating her father some years earlier, changed his mind. After informing the cold-blooded killer than he would go to Hell upon his death if he did not save a soul for every life he had taken, Echo offered Vincent a means to this end as the holy assassin of Anubis, letting him put his skills to use destroying creatures more evil than himself. To prove his loyalty to the church, his first task would be to kill Jacen himself. Again, plans went awry; while hunting down Jacen's whereabouts, Vincent ran afoul of Mezerella, an equally skilled nekomimi assassin that had been decieved by Jacen's lies and magical manipulation into believing they were soulmates. After Mezerella nearly killed Vincent, Echo decided it was time to seek additional allies for the coming struggle, and appealed to Brother Light, a local priest. Soon after, a team of heroes including Cerys and Knuckles McDaniel was assembled at the church of Anubis to guard the still-unconscious Vincent. While Vincent was out, Mezerella attempted to learn where his body had been taken to from Lloyd, the ghoulish guardian of the church's cemetery, but the lecherous undead's bumbling managed to accidentally buy enough time for Tal Kadorin to appear and exorcise Jacen's influence from Mezerella, frightening Lloyd from the churchyard in the process. Meanwhile, Vincent awakened from his slumber. He initially did not get along well with Knuckles, but the two were prevented from coming to blows when Echo and Brother Light convinced them to put aside their differences for the greater good. The next morning, Tal appeared to inform the group that he had taken Mezerella, unconscious from her exorcising, to the church of Helios. However, by the time the group arrived, Jacen had once more overtaken her mind and she invoked holy sanctuary to prevent Tal from exorcising her again. While the heroes debated over how best to get Mezerella to come out of hiding without violating Brother Light's religious duties, a new enemy attacked, bringing the temple to ruin, absorbing Mezerella into its being, and nearly tearing the place apart before Nevara, a rogue shadow angel, appeared to whisk the group to the safety of a neutral location in Nocturne before explaining that the force attacking the city was Vektor, a dark demon who, if not defeated in the tournament he would shortly be announcing, would bring his hellish armies to Phoenix City, destroying it entirely. Vincent joined Cerys, Knuckles, Tal, Nevara, and a newcomer named Kage Manako (who had arrived in response to a prophetic dream about the city's destruction) in Vektor's tournament. While many of the heroes fought anonymous battles against unknown opponents, Vincent's match-up was decidedly personal; a deadly showdown with Jacen Koriander. After dispatching the demon with his bow, Vincent proceeded with the surviving heroes to the final battle with Vektor. During the fierce struggle that ensued, Vincent was killed by the demonic warrior. Seeing no other way to revive him, Nevara granted the assassin the gift of eternal life, and Vincent rose as a vampire. At the battle's conclusion, Nevara and Vincent departed to Nocturne, where they hoped to help the latter learn to live with his undead state so that he could better serve the cause he had been so faithful to. Marrowbrook Story Arc Vincent was not seen or heard from until The Storming of Marrowbrook Castle, in which it is revealed by a returning Nevara that Vincent fell victim to madness resulting from his vampiric cravings, warping his mind until he could not tell friend from foe. The assassin is eventually manipulated by Nathaniel Grassroot into becoming his right hand man, resulting in a conflict with the heroes that ultimately leads to his demise at the hands of the minotaur Azan. Feusang Story Arc Vincent is only seen in a brief cameo during the events of The Unforgiven. While fighting their way out of Hell, the heroes meet up with Vincent, who has also been fighting for his freedom since his post-mortem imprisonment. He joins up with the group again for a short time, but is not heard from again after the group enters a spa mid-way through their journey which turns out to be a trap set by Cecielia. After this, the only records of Vincent's journeys were a brief explanation of the lost time between his death at the end of the Marrowbrook story arc and his reappearance in Hell. During this time, it was revealed that Vincent was mercilessly tortured by various demonic groups, ultimately being "rescued" by a demonic scientist named Ruphurfel and given the Necrosynth Upgrade, an experimental and dangerous surgery that was intended to combine the necromantic rejuvenation of the undead with the technological superiority of cybernetic grafting. However, this newfound power would come at a price; the loss of free will. Death Vincent's final appearance was at the tail end of the Feusang story arc as a corpse baiting the heroes into one of Jacen's traps, suggesting the demon finally got his revenge. Ironically, Jacen would be killed for good himself in the events that immediately followed. Adventure Appearances Vektor Story Arc * Good Fortune * Good Business * Our Lady's Peace * Racing Darkness, Deadly Night Marrowbrook Story Arc * The Storming Of Marrowbrook Castle Feusang Story Arc * Afterlife: From Here To Hell And Back * The Unforgiven Appearances In Other Media It has been confirmed by series creator Regis Welch that Vincent will have a starring role in the upcoming Phoenix City Chronicles web series. Welch himself will be the voice actor. More details to come as the series progesses. External Links Vincent Kisuke's Character Page Category:Characters Category:Neutrals Category:Phoenix City Chronicles